ITWALES.COM - Profile: Trosolwg systems and software

Posted: Wed, September 19, 2007 Trosolwg logo

Profile: Trosolwg systems and software

Carmarthenshire based Trosolwg systems and software develop real time, embedded and control software for medical device and high reliability applications. The company has customers in the medical device and safety critical sectors across England and Wales, who demand high levels of reliability in their products.

Esther Jennings told Sali Earls about the company.

What is the history of the company?
The company was started after Dave left Cardiff University in 2004 after 25 years of teaching and researching. I left a career as a Maths teacher and joined the company later in 2004.

What unique products/services does your company provide?
We develop software for real time, embedded and control systems specialising in high reliability areas such as the medical device sector.

Esther Jennings of Trosolwg sytems and software Our company policy is to use the very best software development tools on the market and the most up to date techniques. We develop models from specifications using the UML (Universal Modelling Language). The modelling tool we use generates much of the code automatically from the models.

By developing software in this manner we are competitive even when compared with off-shore development. We are on hand to ensure complete understanding of specifications. System prototypes can be constructed from models and demonstrated to users. Much of the code is then generated by the modelling tool avoiding the need for expensive and unreliable hand coding.

Using these techniques we create code at least ten times faster than the industry norm. Even when it is necessary to code by hand, the tool allows early testing and round-trip engineering to ensure compliance with the model. We test software rigorously from the initial models to the delivered code.

What's been the key to your success?
We don't cut corners. Most IT project failures are caused either by insufficient specification or by late uncontrolled design changes.

The requirements management tool we use allows us to manage and trace requirements to ensure that the correct product is built. We use a configuration management tool to keep track of all software versions and changes.

Dave Jennings of Trosolwg sytems and software

What one piece of outside technology has benefited your company?
This is a tricky one. We use a whole suite of software tools which we have further customised and integrated to suit the needs of our customers.

We use Telelogic's DOORS for requirements management, Telelogic/ I-Logix Rhapsody for modelling, IBM/Rational's Clear Case and Clear Quest for configuration management and version control and IBM/Rational Test Real Time which ensures that all our code is rigorously tested.

If I had to choose only one aspect of these I think it would have to be the tracing capability, since this demonstrates completeness and correctness of a product.

What one piece of advice would you give to start-up companies in your field?
Cutting corners may get you quick business but it won't gain you respect or repeat custom.

Insist on delivering a quality product even if you may not always appear to be the cheapest show in town. Discerning customers realise that 'cheap' doesn't always mean good. If they don't, let them learn by their mistakes. Getting you in to put things right will cost them even more eventually.

Where do you see your company in the future?
Trosolwg will remain in Wales showing customers in UK and beyond that Made in Wales is a worthwhile soubriquet.

Find out more about Trosolwg sytems and software at www.trosolwg.co.uk.

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